Political Views vs. Personality Contests

**NoSavingByTheBell** · 11-09-2023 07:34 AM

Someone's personality is nearly inextricable from someone's political views and so inadvertently the argumentation of political views will reflect the personalities pretty well. So therefore with all good intentions idealistically trying to separate a personality from a political view is fraught with near impossibility as the speaker cannot separate him or herself from his or her personality as he or she delivers his or her political views and as the political argumentation becomes more and more adamant and heated so also do the personalities in the process become more and more animated which seems to me to be nearly inseparable and so therefore although the title of the thread implies that there should be a mechanism to keep the personalities separate from the political views, in all likelihood they are forever intertwined.

**TitoFan** · 11-09-2023 06:09 PM

Catch your breath after that second sentence, bro.

I've actually met and befriended people with opposite political views than mine, but with the ability to discuss coherently, intelligently, and keeping an open mind to what others have to say. So I can't say I totally agree with you on that. I think my idea when creating the thread (without having gone back to read the OP) was to establish a contrast between the political discussions of the past, and the personality chest-thumping and mud-slinging that is so favored today.

But the ultimate in positive traits a human can have is the ability to change opinions, based on previously unknown facts... or on events that have transpired recently. I can feel a certain way about someone, be it a political figure or whomever, and then change my mind based on facts I didn't have before, or events that occur that cause me to change my mind.

**NoSavingByTheBell** · 11-10-2023 06:53 AM

So I guess you're saying that if somebody for an example just hates somebody or if their only goal is to simply always be right or appear to defeat someone in order to feel better about themselves, then their political views (or even boxing views or gastronomical views, it really doesn't matter what the topic is actually I would go further and say) will be influenced or obscured by that hatred or by that juvenile need to always win or appear witty with ad hominem one-liners and then they will just always try to win at any cost even if they are arguing some kind of nonsense.

Well some people are just contrary and always take the opposite view just in order to be contrary for the sake of it and in order to try to "win" all the time and I think that becomes apparent rather quickly.

That's what I would call a personality contest

**NoSavingByTheBell** · 11-10-2023 07:00 AM

Oh and I would definitely agree that that is one very big virtue to be able to change your opinion based on new facts or new evidence and I would also like to add that another great virtue is for a human being to admit that they are guilty of having done that personality contest thing to others.

I admit I have done that to you and to others but I don't think I have done it lately and I don't plan to.

**TitoFan** · 11-10-2023 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by NoSavingByTheBell

So I guess you're saying that if somebody for an example just hates somebody or if their only goal is to simply always be right or appear to defeat someone in order to feel better about themselves, then their political views (or even boxing views or gastronomical views, it really doesn't matter what the topic is actually I would go further and say) will be influenced or obscured by that hatred or by that juvenile need to always win or appear witty with ad hominem one-liners and then they will just always try to win at any cost even if they are arguing some kind of nonsense.

Well some people are just contrary and always take the opposite view just in order to be contrary for the sake of it and in order to try to "win" all the time and I think that becomes apparent rather quickly.

That's what I would call a personality contest

Originally Posted by NoSavingByTheBell

Oh and I would definitely agree that that is one very big virtue to be able to change your opinion based on new facts or new evidence and I would also like to add that another great virtue is for a human being to admit that they are guilty of having done that personality contest thing to others.

I admit I have done that to you and to others but I don't think I have done it lately and I don't plan to.

You're right in that some people are just contrary and always take the opposite view. And yes... there's all sorts of reasons why people engage in "personality contests" just to "win." If you hate/dislike someone... if you have this need to always "win"... if you just want to appear witty to everyone... etc, etc. To be honest, we've all done it at times... some more than others.

In arguments like "who's the better boxer", or "what's the best drink, or food"... it's pretty much harmless. But in important issues, like politics, it becomes downright frustrating and sometimes even damaging. Maybe it's just me... but with the advent of social media "experts", and the erosion of what used to be basic human values... the percentage of arguments that devolve into personality contests has risen quite a bit.